Cop Opens Wallet for Man with $6 in Pocket After He Runs Out of Gas in Road
Greenville, South Carolina, police officer Ben Miller says being a cop is a calling. And sometimes, the calling includes going above and beyond the typical call of duty.
Miller, 30, opened his June 13 shift up to Fox Carolina News for a Virtual Ride-Along, a chance for the community to glimpse the day-to-day work of a police officer.
The day was filled with a variety of calls, including a stranded motorist on a busy Greenville road.
The broken down vehicle was causing traffic congestion, and when Miller arrived to speak with the driver, he noticed the man looked visibly upset. “He looked like he’d been crying,” Miller told InsideEdition.com.
Miller helped the driver push his vehicle out of the road and into a parking lot. The driver told Miller he had two children, and was trying to get to work when he ran out of gas.
The driver only had $6 dollars on him to fill up his gas tank.
Miller had compassion on the obviously stressed out and anxious man, knowing that $6 dollars wasn’t going to stretch very far.
“I asked him if I could buy him a gas can,” Miller said. “I just felt bad for him. He was extremely thankful.”
The relieved driver told Miller that usually, his run-ins with police were anything but positive. “I was happy I could show him another side,” Miller said.
Not long after refilling the man’s gas tank, Miller responded to a call that had him chasing a thief across a creek and into the woods. The man was handcuffed for attempting to steal a vehicle.
It’s all in a day’s work for Miller, and so many officers around the country. He knows each scenario is unpredictable — one minute you’re helping someone in need, the next, you’re chasing down a criminal.
Miller is proud to serve the community of Greenville. Some of the biggest rewards come from giving a person that much-needed helping hand.
“It doesn’t just involve enforcement,” Miller said. “Sometimes it involves encouragement.”
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